A portion of a typical automotive exhaust system is shown schematically in FIG. 1 of the drawings. This system usually comprises a header which in some instances is made of steel to provide low back pressure, rapid acceleration and high fuel economy. The system has a stepped down tail pipe section which may include a catalytic converter and a muffler. The juncture of the header manifold and tail pipe section usually includes a flange connection which is secured by bolts which compress a gasket at the interface of the flanges.
A typical gasket materials is cork impregnated with asbestos. The confronting flange surfaces are rather narrow in a radial direction. By reason of this and also due to heat expansion and contraction in the exhaust systems, torsional shear forces are exerted on the gasket which produce cracking and associated exhaust leakage. Exhaust leakage in a passenger vehicle can be lethal. Furthermore, deterioration and failure of the gasket usually produces rattling and objectionable noise from the exhaust system. Most States now monitor exhaust systems and during periodic required inspections, will require replacement for leaky or noisy exhaust systems.